


Take Me In Church

by andthatisterrible



Series: Shoot Vampire AU [6]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F, Vampires, also they absolutely do bang in a church so don't read if that isn't your thing, basically more pwp, the ongoing saga of shoot having sex constantly, there's a bit of plot in there too if you squint, this time in manhattan, vampire!shaw/human!root
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:22:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22447123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andthatisterrible/pseuds/andthatisterrible
Summary: Shaw and Reese are taking care of some vampire business in New York City with Root along to assist. Shaw gets hurt in a fight and there's still two pissed off vampires out there looking for revenge. Why can't the bad vampires just let Root and Shaw bang in peace? The actual plot part is...sort of there in the background, but mostly it's just vampire!Shaw and human!Root banging a bunch in various places in the city. They even go on a cute date to the park.
Relationships: Root/Sameen Shaw
Series: Shoot Vampire AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562674
Comments: 24
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Two specific warnings beyond the usual content warnings:
> 
> 1) As implied by the title, they bang in a church. If that might offend you then please just don't read this or at least not the second chapter.  
> 2) Also in the second chapter, there's a short but fairly violent fight scene (root and shaw are fine) that's a little bloodier than other stuff I've written.
> 
> cw for the sex stuff: typical shoot rough sex, strap-ons, rimming, lots of vampire biting, extremely light bondage, nothing too crazy. if you've made it through the series so far you should be just fine.

Shaw woke up alone in a strange bed on the other side of the world from home. She sat up slowly, the blankets falling around her waist, and peered around the dark room. There were blackout curtains securely nailed over the one window to keep the sunlight out, but she could still see the smallest hint of light around the edges.

Waking up was always disorienting since vampires rarely slept, and the sleep had been more like a mild coma, brought on by the need to heal. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been out for. What she _was_ sure of was that she hadn't been alone most of the time she was asleep. She'd have been worried about Root if she hadn't been able to hear the quiet sound of her breathing from the living room.

The apartment was large by Manhattan standards, but still tiny. The lack of furnishing made it seem much bigger though, and there was always the slight echo that came with empty rooms that made Shaw's bare footsteps louder as she walked into the living room. There were no chairs, so Root was sitting on the window ledge, curled up with her knees tucked up against her chest and her head resting on her knees as she looked out the open window. It was raining again and Root had the window wide open and was almost pressed up against the screen. The cloudy sky provided enough protection from the sun that Shaw was safe to step up behind Root.

Root didn't realize she was there until Shaw tapped her on the arm. She picked her head up and turned to look at Shaw, her gaze moving automatically to where the horrible wound had been on Shaw's chest earlier, a present from a crazed vampire that had tried to punch a hole right through her and had almost succeeded. There was only a raw red patch there now, well on its way to healing.

"Hey, sweetie. How're you feeling?"

"Better." Another piece of information reared its head. "Starving."

Root's lips twitched and Shaw wondered if it was a smile she was holding back.

"Come here then." Root tugged on her arm.

The window ledge was fairly wide, but it was still a bit of a squeeze for Shaw to fit with Root tucked between her legs.

"Maybe we should sit somewhere else." Not that there was much of anywhere to sit here. Even the bed was only a large mattress on the floor, though that might have been better considering the fact that with the window wide open like this they were in full view of the next apartment building over.

"I like it here," Root said. "It'll be fine."

Shaw eyed the building across the way suspiciously and then shrugged. She pulled the hair away from Root's neck, brushed her lips across her skin once, and then sank her fangs in. Root's blood filled her mouth and flowed through her, her tiredness and aching injury easing up almost immediately. Root tensed and shivered before softening against Shaw again. One of her hands reached up to touch Shaw's head.

"I'm sorry I left you sleeping alone," Root said quietly. "You're so still when you sleep like that, and after...."

The vampire who'd tried to punch a hole through Shaw's chest had been very strong, but not particularly bright. She'd managed to rip out its throat and spine, but not before it had damn near stuck its arm through her, shattering bones and damaging a lung. Shaw was still annoyed at herself for getting hurt like that, but there was definitely no need for Root to dwell on what hadn't been a big deal. It was hardly the first time Shaw had gotten nearly-impaled by a vampire and probably wouldn't be the last.

Shaw's hand wandered down to stroke along the inside of Root's thigh over the silky black boxers she had on (that Shaw was very sure were actually hers). Good thing there was an easy and guaranteed way to distract Root.

Root shifted as much as she could to give Shaw more room to work and Shaw touched her slowly through the smooth material of the boxers. The rain fell quietly outside the window and a cool breeze blew over them from time to time, making goosebumps rise on Root's skin.

"Looks like someone woke up on the right side of the bed," Root murmured as Shaw's hand crept past the elastic waistband of her boxers.

Shaw finished feeding before she did too much else, content to just explore Root with her fingers and feel her getting more and more wet. Root shut her eyes and leaned her head back against Shaw's shoulder. She looked so peaceful that Shaw was hesitant to continue, but Root's hips pressed up into her hand, demanding more.

Shaw watched Root's face as she entered her slowly with one finger. Root's eyes stayed shut but her lips parted in a soft exhale of breath. Shaw tugged on her hair with her free hand, angling Root's head so she could kiss her and match the strokes of her fingers inside Root with her tongue in Root's mouth. It was soft and gentle and not like either of them at all and yet somehow right for this moment. Root came with a muffled moan into Shaw's mouth as her body tensed and arched and then sank back into Shaw.

Shaw carefully pulled her fingers out and settled back against the window frame to give Root a minute to recover. She turned to watch the rain falling outside the building and idly scanned the windows she could see for any sign of people spying on them.

"You didn't need to do that," Root said after a few minutes.

"Didn't need to do what?" Shaw asked with a frown, because she was very sure Root would never say that about sex.

"Get between me and that last vampire. I would have been fine."

Oh. Shaw stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

"If it had hit you the way it hit me, you would have been dead."

"I had a plan."

"You wouldn't have had time to do anything. You know how fast we are."

Root huffed out a little frustrated sigh. "I'm not good at sitting on the sidelines, Shaw."

"I didn't ask you to. Only one of us can survive getting hit with the force of a truck though."

Root stayed quiet though Shaw could see she wasn't happy. Damn idiot was really sulking over Shaw not letting her get killed.

"When you're working with...a team--" Because fighting alongside Reese and Root had been just that. Hell, things probably wouldn't have ended well at all without Root's help. They might not have even _found_ the vampires without her help. "--you all have to have each other's backs. That's all."

It was Root's turn to stare out the window now and Shaw stayed quiet, letting her sort things out in her own mind.

"For a second I thought you might have been dead. Actually dead. I didn't like that much."

"Oh." Shaw wasn't sure what to say to that. "Well, I'm not."

She thought Root might press the issue further, but instead she just said, "You owe me one."

Shaw could have questioned why _she_ owed _Root_ for saving Root's life, but she let it go. She had a feeling she'd enjoy whatever favor it was Root wanted from her in return.

"Fine."

Root squirmed free from Shaw's arms and got up and at first Shaw thought she'd said the wrong thing, but then Root turned towards her, the mischievous light back in her eyes.

"Turn this way."

Shaw dropped her feet to the floor so her back was to the window. "Maybe we should move into the other room now? The neighbors already got a show." But she made no move to stop Root from reaching for the waistband of her sweatpants and obligingly lifted her hips so Root could slide the pants off.

"Are you even up for this right after I fed on you?" Shaw asked as Root knelt in front of her. "When did you last sleep?"

A fleeting exasperated look played across Root's face and then vanished as she buried her head between Shaw's legs. Shaw's head fell back to bump against the glass of the window at the first touch of Root's tongue and she rested one hand in Root's soft hair.

It wasn't a bad way to spend the morning (late afternoon?), Shaw figured. The gentle patter of the rain outside contrasted nicely with the obscene wet sounds Root's mouth was making between her legs. Shaw relaxed, more than she usually would have, and let Root's skillful tongue and fingers work her up and drive her over the edge. Her fingers clenched in Root's hair when she came, but, this time, she was careful not to yank on it like she usually would have.

Sometimes having a quiet afternoon was okay.

Root stood up to kiss her after, her mouth still tasting like Shaw.

"Thanks for watching my back, sweetie," Root said after they surfaced from the kiss.

"Really not a problem," Shaw said, her hands drifting down to squeeze Root's ass harshly.

Root smirked at that and tugged on the collar of Shaw's shirt. "Maybe we should actually move to the other room now."

"We should, but I'm going back to sleep." She still wasn't fully healed, though feeding had definitely helped. Drifting for a few more hours was probably what she needed now.

"There's always later," Root said, only sounding a little disappointed.

"You're going back to sleep, too. You look like shit."

"Shaw, there's still two vampires out there who may be looking for us…."

Shaw pulled her pants back on and got up. "I know that. I'm only going to drift. If they find us I'll hear them way before you would."

Root looked like she was going to argue more, but Shaw got an iron grip on her arm and pulled her towards the bedroom. They both settled down on the mattress and kicked the blankets into a mostly useful arrangement. Root must have been even more tired than she looked because she passed out almost instantly, sprawled on her back, leaving Shaw awake to watch her sleep.

After she was sure that Root was deeply asleep, Shaw rolled over next to her, settled her chin on Root's shoulder and dropped an arm across her stomach. She was tired and injured and far away from her home, but Root was like having a small piece of home with her. She drifted at ease, soothed by the sound of the rain and Root's steady breathing.

* * *

Root woke up to a knock on the door. She crawled out of bed and hurried into the living room to find Shaw already at the door. John Reese was standing in the hall outside, Bear at his side. Root relaxed her grip on the gun she'd grabbed and joined Shaw near the door.

"Root," John greeted her. "I was just asking Shaw how her injury was, but she doesn't seem inclined to tell me."

"She's fine," Root said with a yawn. She was still exhausted. She'd been awake for over twenty four hours between the raid on the vampire gang, and watching over Shaw while she slept and however much sleep she'd just had wasn't enough.

"I told you so," Shaw grumbled. "It's not like I'm the only one who got hurt. You're lucky your arm didn't get ripped completely off."

John's arm had been dangling from his shoulder in an upsetting way at the end of the fight, but it had mostly been back to normal when he'd stopped by the previous night. Shaw had still been deeply asleep at that point and Root had sent Bear home with John so she wouldn't have to leave Shaw unguarded to walk him.

John rotated his shoulder with a grimace.

"It's going to be sore for a few more days, but no permanent harm done."

"Any sign of those last two vampires?" Shaw asked.

There were at least two who had gotten away--two extremely violent vampires who had no regard for human or vampire lives or law and who now had a personal interest in killing them.

"Nothing yet. I was going to scout around the city a bit after dark tomorrow."

Root glanced at the window and saw it was dark out. She wasn't sure what time it was or even what day anymore. It'd been a crazy week.

"Can you handle Bear for another night?" Root asked. "We have plans for tomorrow evening."

Shaw looked confused. "We do?"

Root raised her eyebrows and gave Shaw what she hoped was a significant look. Shaw still looked confused but just shrugged.

"I guess we do."

"I can watch Bear, but you two be careful. Call me if you catch any hint of those last two vampires."

Shaw turned to Root as soon as the door shut behind John. "What plans?"

"Oh, just some things I found for us to do while we're in the city." She grabbed her cell phone from where it was charging on the floor in the corner to check the time. Four am. Plenty of time still to sleep if they weren't going to head out until tomorrow evening.

Shaw looked suspicious but didn't press for more details. She generously allowed Root to take the first shower (the shower was too small to share comfortably) and Root crawled back into the blankets and fell asleep before Shaw finished hers.

A strange sensation woke her up some time later and she blinked awake to investigate. Shaw's long hair was down around her, still wet from the shower, and spread across Root's body from where she was bent over Root's chest. The sensation that had woken Root up was Shaw's mouth closed around her nipple through the thin cotton shirt she was sleeping in.

"Last time you were hurt you weren't interested in sex right away," Root said, sleepily. "Not that I'm complaining." Shaw's mouth was warm against her and her hand was tracing one of Root's hip bones.

Shaw lifted her head to look at her with dark eyes. "Last time I was poisoned. This time there was a big, violent fight."

"And that got you all worked up, huh?"

Shaw smirked. "Problem?"

Root smiled back and reached down to brush Shaw's hair back. "No, though I'm not sure how much use I'll be to you without a few more hours of sleep."

"Hmm, well I'm sure I can improvise."

Shaw sat up and shoved the covers back. It was still relatively warm at this time of year, but Root definitely felt a chill with the theft of her warm blankets. She was about to protest, but Shaw stood up at that moment and Root realized she was completely naked. Thoughts about blankets fled her mind.

Shaw grabbed something from the other side of the room that Root couldn't see in the dim light and then returned to the mattress. She tugged on the waistband of Root's boxers and pulled them down and away while Root struggled out of her shirt.

"What'd you have in mind?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Put this on." It was a strap-on harness and Root suddenly had an idea where Shaw was going with this. Her fingers were a bit clumsy, but Shaw helped her get set up with the harness and one of the dildos they'd brought along with them.

"Just lie back," Shaw instructed.

Root propped an extra pillow behind her head before relaxing. Shaw had a hand between her own legs, fingers stroking methodically, and Root's eyes locked onto the sight. Her body was still heavy with exhaustion, but her mind was suddenly much more awake.

"Let me." She reached a hand towards Shaw, but Shaw brushed it aside.

"You wanted to let the neighbors watch earlier, now it's your turn to watch." She got up and grabbed something from the other side of the room and came back. "Hands above your head." Shaw was holding a length of the soft grey rope she'd packed for the trip.

Root pouted but raised her arms above her head. She was surprised when Shaw didn't just sit next to her on the mattress, but swung a leg over her and sat on her chest just below her breasts. She could tell exactly how turned on Shaw was from the wet patch she was leaving on her chest, and she also got a great up close view of Shaw's breasts when she leaned forwards to tie Root's hands. Shaw's fingers twitched against Root's wrists when she craned her neck up to take one of her nipples into her mouth. Root expected Shaw to stop her, but Shaw just continued looping the rope carefully around and between Root's wrists and grinding against her chest a little from time to time. She finished and sat back, looking pleased with her handiwork.

"Behave and maybe there'll be something in it for you later."

Root smiled somewhat insincerely. She was pretty sure that whatever it was, Shaw could be convinced to give it to her even if she misbehaved.

Shaw must have seen it in her face because she chuckled. "You're lucky there's nothing in this damn place I can actually tie you to." She got up onto her knees and moved back so she was hovering over the strap-on. Root's breath caught in her throat as Shaw lowered herself onto it, taking the length of it into herself in a single movement. Shaw's eyes shut and her head tilted back with her long hair loose around her and Root couldn't help but stare. Shaw rolled her hips once, testing out her position and then started to move in earnest.

The base of the strap-on pressing against Root felt _good_ but she was only distantly aware of that because she was transfixed with watching Shaw move above her. She tried to thrust up to match Shaw's rhythm, but Shaw's hand pressed down hard on her hips and held her in place. Apparently she'd been serious about Root having to stay still. Shaw's eyes were open now and she stared down at Root like she wanted to devour her. Her lips curled back just enough to show a glimpse of fangs and Root shivered.

"Bite me, Shaw." Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears.

"No." There was a tiny hint of a smile on Shaw's lips. She braced herself against the bed with one arm and sped up, riding Root hard and fast all the while staring down at her with those intense dark eyes. Root was aching to touch her or reciprocate in any way, but she was held in place and unable to do anything but drown in Shaw's gaze.

Shaw threw her head back when she came and her legs squeezed Root almost too tight. "Fuck, that was good."

Root squirmed underneath her, trying to grind up into her. "Shaw, please, I only need a bit more…."

Shaw slid off the strap-on with a wet sound that pulled an involuntary whine out of Root. Her whole body pressed into Shaw's touch even as Shaw carefully pulled the strap-on harness off of her.

"Roll over."

"Why?" Definitely not what she'd been expecting, but she found herself moving to obey anyway. She flopped onto her stomach, hands still tied awkwardly above her, and face pressed into the pillow. She wasn't completely sure what Shaw had in mind, but she was more than happy to spread her legs wide at the urging of Shaw's hands.

Shaw's hands ran over her ass gently and Root wondered if Shaw was considering spanking her, which sounded a little too rough for how tired she was now. She only had a second to be surprised when Shaw parted her buttcheeks and her tongue licked a hot line between them.

" _Fuck_ ," Root breathed out, fingers clenching on the pillow. This must have been what Shaw had promised her if she behaved and, damn, maybe she should try behaving more often.

Shaw's tongue was gentle but persistent and Root moaned into the pillow and pushed back into the sensations as much as she could. She felt Shaw's fingers further down, teasing her for a second before adding some much-needed pressure to her clit. One more stroke of Shaw's tongue and she was falling apart and melting into the sheets in slow rolling waves.

The exhaustion settled over her more fully as she recovered, but now it felt warm and hazy rather than urgent. She knew she had a dopey smile on her face as Shaw carefully undid the ropes around her wrists, but fortunately it was hidden by the pillow.

She dozed off when Shaw vanished to the bathroom, but woke up when she returned and rolled over onto her side to make room for her. Shaw slid in under the covers and Root schooched over next to her immediately. She expected Shaw to protest when she snuggled up against her side, but Shaw only moved around a little to get herself comfortable.

"When you wake up for real we're going to talk about these plans you have."

"They're a surprise." Root could hear her own voice slur with sleep.

"We'll see about that."

Root was barely still awake when she felt something brush against her forehead, but she was pulled under into sleep before she could determine if it had been Shaw's lips or not.

* * *

The early afternoon sunlight was bright enough that Root had put on her oversized aviator sunglasses when she went out to pick up her lunch (which was technically an early breakfast for her since she lived on vampire time now). The temperature had finally started to drop a little with the first hint of fall, but it was still plenty hot out and her hair was sticking to her neck in sweaty strands.

The apartment building they were staying in was nice by city standards--definitely overpriced, but that was an inescapable reality in Manhattan. The one bedroom apartment they'd rented on a three month lease had been a pain in the ass to secure. Root had been forced to invent several extremely convincing fake people to provide references and guarantors in order for their rental application to be approved. New York landlords were unnerving in their intensity and she was surprised she hadn't had to sign her name in blood. She was used to breaking into empty apartments so the application process had been a new, unpleasant experience, though parts of it had also been a fun challenge. Not having to sneak in and out all the time was one less thing to worry about though, and, on the whole, it had been worth it.

Root had to juggle the bag of takeout she had to get her keys out to unlock the front door of the building. The interior of the building was a little cooler, but still far too warm for her liking, especially since she had to climb three steep flights of stairs. A blur of motion startled her when she reached the first landing and then Shaw was standing next to her in only a tank top and boxers.

Shaw reached for the bag. "Thought you could use a hand."

Root let her take the bag without complaint. She was fairly sure Shaw had been worried the whole time she was gone. The vampires who had a grudge against them were unlikely to risk this much sunlight to attack them, but there were no guarantees and, as much as she wanted to deny it, there wasn't that much she could do if they really attacked her.

"Thanks, sweetie." She followed Shaw back up the stairs, using the great view of Shaw's ass and muscular legs to distract herself from the steep climb.

"Only have another three weeks left in this place, though we might not even need all of it," Shaw said as Root settled down on the floor to eat. There were no tables so she'd bought a tray for her lap. She'd made do in far worse conditions than these. Shaw sat down as well, leaning back against the opposite wall to watch her eat. Since it was bright outside, they'd pulled the curtains over the window and the room was lit by a single, harsh ceiling light.

"Are you looking forward to going back to your castle?" Root asked.

Instead of answering, Shaw pulled her shirt off over her head, an act which made Root almost stuff her orange chicken up her nose rather than into her mouth. She put her chopsticks down and reached for her drink while she watched Shaw examining the almost-healed red mark on her chest. At this rate it would probably be gone in another day, but Root knew her memory of seeing Shaw almost die would take a lot longer to fade.

"I'm not sure," Shaw said finally. "It's been fun and all, but I forgot how loud it is here. Even at night."

"The city that never sleeps." It hadn't occurred to her how that would be annoying for someone with extremely good hearing.

"Think I got used to the quiet. Too bad there's nothing to do in the middle of nowhere."

"You can always take on more short jobs like this one, if you're willing." The job they'd come to help John with hadn't been from Control, but it had definitely had her blessing, which Shaw had been a little put out about. The vampires they'd killed had pissed off both the human and vampire communities enough that everyone just wanted them dead.

"I might do that," Shaw agreed. "Would you be interested in helping out if I did?"

"For hacking purposes?"

"Among other things. That fucked-up booby-trap hell you rigged through the first two levels of the building probably had a higher kill count than either me or Reese." Shaw grinned a little at the memory. "There's a lot more to jobs than just brute force, you know."

Root wondered if Shaw could tell that it still bothered her.

"Sounds like it could be fun," she said without much conviction.

She saw the slight frown on Shaw's face before her expression smoothed out into a carefully neutral look. Shaw was trying very hard, she knew, definitely way more than she would have for anyone else. If there was one thing this trip had shown her, it was how surprisingly high she was on Shaw's list of priorities. High enough that Shaw was actually attempting to cheer her up.

She put her tray aside and crawled over to Shaw. "Move your hands." She batted Shaw's hands out of her lap so she could straddle her legs and lean down to kiss her. Shaw stayed still for a second and then her hands drifted to Root's hips and she deepened the kiss. Root sighed happily into her mouth, pleased by Shaw's easy reciprocation. They'd had sex twice now since Shaw had woken from her healing sleep, and she'd only gotten to kiss Shaw once in that whole time and she'd missed it.

"You taste good," Shaw said when they broke apart.

Root laughed softly. Usually when Shaw said that she wasn't talking about the Chinese food that Root had just had for lunch. "I taste good other places as well."

"You do," Shaw agreed, "but I thought we had these mysterious plans for today."

"In a few hours." She leaned back in to kiss Shaw again and moaned in approval when Shaw's hand squeezed her ass. She'd been planning to wait until later today for more sex, but she couldn't seem to remember why now.

"Tell me what you want to do to me," she breathed in Shaw's ear.

"Like right now, or…?"

"Or something you've always wanted to do."

"We tend to just do the things we fantasize about," Shaw pointed out. "Let me think."

Root nipped at Shaw's neck and then her earlobe as she waited for her to come up with something.

"Hmm, maybe I'd bend you over a chair. Tie your wrists and ankles to the chair legs. We've never done that before. Might be fun."

Root's breath caught at the idea of that and she bit down harder on Shaw's ear. She'd be completely at Shaw's mercy like that, a thought that was exciting yet comforting at the same time. She didn't realize she'd started grinding against Shaw's leg until Shaw shifted to give her a better angle and gripped her hips lightly.

"What...what would you do next?" Root asked.

"Dunno, guess I could fuck you with a strap-on. Maybe spill some hot wax down your back. Or maybe stick a vibrator in you and then spank you until you lost control and came."

Root nearly came just from thinking about all that. Well, that and the great friction she was getting through her underwear against Shaw's leg.

"I figure that would only take about a minute tops," Shaw said and Root could hear the smugness in her voice. She bit down viciously hard on Shaw's neck in revenge and was pleased with the throaty groan it pulled from her.

"There's only one problem with your plan," she said as she pulled back. Shaw seemed to be busy staring down the front of her dress so Root slipped the straps off her shoulders and pushed the dress down to her waist.

"What's that?" Shaw asked as her hands trailed up Root's sides to her bra. Root was impressed that she took the time to unhook it and didn't just tear it off, which was an extremely hot but unfortunately expensive habit of hers. She moaned in relief at the feeling of Shaw's hands on her. She was having a hard time remembering how they'd ever gone for months apart and unable to touch each other.

Root groped at the waistband of Shaw's boxers until she managed to slip her hand in and between Shaw's legs and wow Shaw must really be into her little fantasy. Root couldn't get much of an angle in their current position, but she did her best.

"What's the one problem?" Shaw asked again, voice a little strained.

"We don't have any chairs, Shaw." She watched Shaw's face as she entered her with two fingers. Shaw's eyes fluttered closed and then opened again, huge and dark and hungry.

"I'm sure the neighbors have one they won't miss," Shaw said hoarsely. She swallowed and let out a slow breath. "I want to bite you."

There was a hint of a question in her words and Root nodded eagerly. She leaned forwards to make it easier for Shaw and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. Shaw didn't hesitate for a second and bit down harshly on her neck, her fangs sinking in in two white hot points of pain that drew a ragged whimper from Root. The burst of pain felt so good that it took her a second to realize Shaw was coming, clamping down on her fingers and moaning into her neck.

"Fuck," Shaw murmured into her neck as she recovered.

Root grabbed at one of her hands and tried to drag it between her own legs. Shaw urged her up enough so that she could push her underwear to one side and slide into her with two fingers. Root's head fell forwards onto Shaw's shoulder as she rode her fingers and when Shaw's thumb brushed over her clit, she finally fell over the edge, warmth pulsing through her whole body.

She slumped on top of Shaw after, feeling languid and satisfied. Her plans for the day hadn't involved them having sex yet, but clearly that had been an oversight on her part. She exchanged a few lazy kisses with Shaw, still able to taste a hint of her blood in Shaw's mouth. Shaw was being very amenable to this softer intimacy today, and while Root wasn't sure why, she was definitely enjoying it.

"You know," Shaw said thoughtfully. "We could just cancel your plans and go steal a chair."

Tempting, but… "Maybe tomorrow."

"Yeah, well, what if I'm not in the mood tomorrow?"

"Sweetie," Root said with disdainful disbelief. "You've never not been in the mood."

"That time I was poisoned," Shaw pointed out. There was just the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips.

"We'll just have to make sure you don't get poisoned in the next twenty four hours."

Shaw nodded and slid her hands around Root's butt to pull her up against her. "Whatever you have planned better be good."

Root relaxed against Shaw's body with a sigh of contentment. "I think you'll enjoy yourself."

* * *

Shaw tugged irritably at the thin scarf she'd wrapped around her face that left her looking like a mummy in black wool. Root had said they had plans for the day as if she'd meant something exciting that preferably ended with a good fight and/or a good fuck, but so far Shaw had been dragged across central park in the slowly dimming early evening light and not only hadn't gotten to fuck Root, but was bundled up against the sunlight to an absurd degree. Besides the scarf she also had a baseball hat tugged down low over her face, sunglasses, a high-collared jacket, and even a pair of thin compression gloves to protect her hands.

This, she reflected, was truly the worst part about being a vampire. Not the whole never see the sunlight thing, but the extreme annoyance and discomfort of dressing up like a child going out into a blizzard just to walk across the city. At least the late summer heat didn't bother her and, while she got a few curious glances, most people didn't look twice.

"Isn't it nice to get out of the apartment for a few hours?" Root asked. She was wearing a light blue sundress with thin straps that left her shoulders bare. Even with her hair down, Shaw could see the three bite marks on her neck, and she could catch glimpses of the ones on her wrists and arms as well. Not that she was checking them out or anything.

"For you, maybe." Shaw angrily adjusted the scarf so it stopped getting in her mouth.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I promise you'll be enjoying yourself soon." There was a hint of promise in Root's voice that mollified Shaw slightly. Maybe there really was something worthwhile at the end of all this.

Of course Root could have just told her where they were going and she could have gotten them there in an instant, but supposedly that would ruin the surprise. Shaw suspected that was just an excuse though to trick her into having a stroll around the park with Root. Was this some sort of date? Were they dating? The word didn't feel like it sufficiently covered the bounds of their...okay, their relationship, but she wasn't sure there actually was a good word for it. Root was her friend--her friend who she fucked a lot and who lived in her castle and who talked her ear off but not in a bad way and who kept her company in silence sometimes as well. She'd somehow become an important part of Shaw's life--important enough that Shaw had almost gotten herself killed protecting her.

"You're awfully quiet. I thought John was the one who brooded."

"Hard to talk when I'm being smothered by my own outfit."

"You look very mysterious," Root assured her.

Shaw snorted. "I look dumb as fuck. Are we almost there?"

"Just up ahead."

Shaw hadn't been in this part of the park in a long time and only had vague memories but she thought there might be a lake nearby. Sure enough they came into sight of a lake with a small stone castle sitting perched over it on a little cliff.

"I forgot about that place," Shaw admitted. How long _had_ it been since she'd been here?

"Belvedere castle," Root said. "Not really much of a castle compared to yours, but it's got a great view of the park."

"Is that why you dragged me out here? You wanted to visit the castle?"

"I thought you seemed a little homesick, so.…"

"Bullshit. Why are we actually here?" This was probably going to turn out to be some bizarre sex fantasy of Root's, and as long as it wasn't too weird Shaw was fine with that. It wasn't like Root hadn't indulged her fantasies many times in the past. But the whole mysterious act was getting old.

"You'll see." Root tugged her along by her wrist. "It should be shut for the evening now and completely empty."

Shaw still didn't get what was so great about fucking Root in a miniature castle in the park instead of back in their apartment, but the fact it seemed likely that she'd get to fuck Root soon now kept her from complaining more.

She watched Root pick the lock on the door and slipped through into the blessed lack of sunlight. It was almost dark enough out now to be safe, but still not quite enough. She started pulling the scarf off but Root stopped her.

"We're going back outside."

"But--"

"Follow me."

Shaw thought about just pinning Root up against the nearest wall, but after coming all this way she was just the tiniest bit curious. Root led her up some stairs and out a different door onto a wide observation deck with a breathtaking view of the park. The lake stretched below them, dark and silent, and, on the other side, an open-air theater sat with its back to the lake, stage fully visible from behind. There was clearly a play going on and the theater was packed. Shaw could make out the voices of the actors fairly well with her hearing and she thought maybe a human would have been able to pick up some of it as well at this distance. When she looked over the edge of the castle wall, she saw humans almost directly below, sitting on blankets on the rocks to watch the play from afar.

"So what's the plan?" Shaw asked. "And if you tell me we're here to watch a dumbass play then I'm going to be pissed."

"Not exactly. Root wandered over to the wall and looked out across the lake. " _I'm_ going to watch the play and you're going to fuck me."

"Seriously? I don't even get to watch the play?"

"Well, do you want to watch it?"

"No, but--"

"Then this works out well." Root hiked up her skirt enough to hook a thumb into her underwear and pull them down her legs. She carefully stepped out of them and then walked over and tucked them in the collar of Shaw's jacket. "What are you waiting for, Sam?"

Shaw grabbed Root's underwear out of her collar and stuck it in her jacket pocket. She'd think about giving it back to Root later. "Okay, fine. Whatever. Go bend over the wall."

Root smirked triumphantly and pranced over to the wall. She rested her forearms on the top of the stone ledge and leaned forwards over it. Shaw stepped up behind her and ran her hands up her thighs, bunching the dress up. Eventually she'd have to take the gloves off, but she had a strong suspicion that Root was kinda into them from the way she stared when Shaw put them on.

"You're really into semi-public sex this week, huh?" she asked as she ran a hand over Root's ass and up to the small of her back. If Root got loud, all the people on the rocks below were definitely going to hear. They were far enough up that they had some privacy, but it wouldn't be that hard to figure out what was going on.

"Problem?" Root asked.

"Not so far." Shaw ran a gloved hand over Root's stomach and up to her breasts. She pushed her fingers under Root's bra and brushed them over her nipple. Root shivered all over and pressed back into her. Shaw glanced up at the view of the distant stage. "How's that play going?"

"The costumes look nice. Very fancy. I think they're supposed to be faeries."

Shaw stepped back to pull her gloves and sunglasses off. The baseball hat she left on for now, but did turn it around so the brim was in the back. The sun was almost down enough that she could remove some of her other layers, but no reason not to be cautious. Didn't want to start sneezing and getting itchy now of all times. She took a second to take in the view of Root bent over the castle wall with all of central park stretched out in front of her. She hated to admit it, but it was a pretty nice view.

She pulled Root's dress up enough to get her hand under it and start touching Root from behind, slow but firm. Her other hand returned to Root's breasts, squeezing gently. She could start this out nice and slow for now and make things more exciting later. Build up to the grand finale.

"Tell me about the play," she requested. "Whatever it is it can't be that sexy since you're barely even wet yet."

"Hmm, there's a man with a donkey head for some reason."

Shaw rolled her eyes. "Yeah, see, that's the opposite of sexy." She brushed a kiss between Root's shoulder blades and then followed it up with dragging her teeth over the same spot, pulling a startled moan out of Root. Two thin scratches welled with blood in the wake of her fangs and, yeah, Root had just gotten really turned on by that. It made the fact she had to spit out a mouthful of scarf after worth it.

She got a little rougher with her hand between Root's legs and pulled her other hand back to slap Root's ass once, sharply. The slap echoed more than she expected and she craned her neck to try and see the people sitting on the rocks below, but they were out of her sight range unless she was willing to stop touching Root.

And so what if they heard? It wasn't like they could do much about it from down there. Shaw mentally shrugged and smacked Root a few more times, pulling enthusiastic noises out of her.

"Keep talking," she ordered Root.

"I think the fa--" Root's words were cut off by Shaw's hand beating a fast flurry of blows across her ass. Root was definitely wet now--Shaw's fingers were drenched.

"Didn't catch that," Shaw said as she eased up and rubbed a soothing hand over Root's ass.

"The faerie queen seems to have fallen in love with the donkey man."

"You are into the weirdest shit." She pushed into Root with one finger. The moan that got out of Root was fairly quiet, much to Shaw's disappointment, and she decided the time for restraint was over. She added another finger and curled them both, pulling a louder moan out of Root that someone had to have heard. The lake down below would probably provide some nice echoes and she wondered if she could make Root get loud enough when she came that the people in the theater would hear. Only one way to find out.

"Keep talking about this play. You stop, I stop."

She was three fingers deep in Root with her other hand alternating between roughing up her breasts and a few sharp slaps on her ass when she gave up on getting any more updates about the play out of her (not that she really wanted them). Root's head was hanging down with her hair falling all around so it wasn't like she could even see the play anymore. Shaw smirked and grabbed Root's hair to tug her face up. "Thought you wanted to watch the play, Root?"

"I do, but...oh, fuck, Sameen."

Shaw let her go, satisfied. She kept up the quick thrusts with her fingers and rocked into Root hard from behind with her hips. Root's arms slipped across the stone wall as Shaw pushed her from behind and that was probably going to leave some scrapes, but Root didn't seem to care about that at all. There was some threshold of pain Root had below which everything just felt good during sex and Shaw always liked finding new ways to test it.

A steady stream of moans and cries were being pulled from Root now, and several times Shaw heard someone below yelling at them to shut up, which really only encouraged her more. Root's muscles clenched erratically around her fingers, so close to coming, and Shaw leaned forwards and bit down sharply on the back of her shoulder. The noise Root let out definitely was loud enough to carry, though Shaw wasn't paying too much attention to the stage, not when Root was falling apart in her arms and spasming around her fingers. Their timing had been absolutely perfect though, because the entire theater erupted in applause as the play ended.

"Sounds like we got a standing ovation," Shaw said in amusement. She crooked her fingers slightly and relished the way it made Root twitch underneath her.

"Mmmm."

Shaw pulled out of her and stepped back to survey the damage. Root's dress was bunched up around her waist leaving her ass bared and bright red from Shaw's hand, her hair was a mess, there was a still-bleeding bite mark on her back, and her legs looked a little shaky. Definitely went perfectly with the stunning landscape view.

Shaw unwound the scarf from around her face as she let Root recover. It was dark enough now that it wasn't a problem. She grimaced when she realized the cuff of her jacket sleeve was as soaked as her fingers. Oh well, it had been worth it. She stripped down to a tank top and jeans and sighed in relief.

"Shaw…." There was something in Root's voice other than afterglow.

"What? You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fantastic, but I think the gentleman who just left the theater and are headed this way may not have been fans of our act. I don't think we'll have time for an encore."

Shaw peered into the evening gloom to look for herself. "Everyone's a critic, huh? Guess we should get out of here."

Root straightened up and smoothed down her dress. "Can I get my underwear back?"

"Maybe later." Shaw shoved her extra clothes into her pack and pulled it on. "Come here a second."

Root approached her cautiously, like she suspected Shaw was up to something. Speed was on Shaw's side though, and she moved faster than Root could follow, scooped Root up in her arms, and vaulted over the far wall of the balcony they were on. She landed lightly, like a cat, and grinned at Root's bewildered look.

"Let's get going to wherever is next on your list," she said as she set Root back on her feet. Root clutched at her arm as if unstable on her feet, but given the way she squeezed Shaw's bicep, Shaw suspected that part was an act.

"We should hail a cab then," Root said a little breathlessly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Want to tell me what we're doing here?" Shaw asked in a loud whisper. The large bushes nearby shielded them from the sidewalk, but she still felt way too out in the open. The lock Root had been picking finally gave and Root straightened up. She held the door open for Shaw.

"We're going to have sex in this church obviously."

The church Root had brought them to was a massive gothic stone affair with stained glass windows and soaring arches. Even tucked neatly away in the east village, it was still an impressive building (if you were into churches anyway).

Shaw followed Root inside, her shoes sinking into the thick carpeting. They hadn't gone in the front door, but instead a side door in to one of the buildings off the chapel.

"Did you have some weird religious upbringing you're rebelling against?" she asked once she was sure the building was empty.

"Not particularly." Root peered into one of the rooms as they passed. All the lights were out and the halls were dark.

"You just decided out of nowhere that we should go fuck in a random church?"

"We walked past it last week and the thought occurred to me then."

Shaw wondered if Root spent every walk they were on trying to spot new places to have sex. Seemed likely.

Root glanced back at her with a grin. "Also, having sex with an unholy demon-spawn in a place of worship was on my bucket list."

"I dunno, Root, I'm not sure you qualify as demon-spawn." She smirked, but Root's grin only widened.

She had to admit that there was something enticing about banging in a church. There'd been quite a few religious organizations that had attempted crusades and purges of vampires over the years, and Shaw had never minded waiting for the right moment to get some petty revenge.

"Through here." Root pushed open a narrow wood door and they both walked out into the main chapel of the church, up front, right by the dais. The church was dark, but there were a few small lights high up on the walls that cast the space in a surreal glow. The rows of wooden pews were shrouded in shadows. On either side of them were huge pipe organs set into the wall, with the organ itself at the base of one wall to their right. Shaw was tempted to go play a few notes on it for fun, but that probably ran the risk of bringing someone to investigate.

Root walked up to the main altar and trailed a hand over the white cloth covering it. She turned back to Shaw with a grin. "Forgive me, father, for I intend to sin. Hopefully several times."

Shaw chuckled and walked up to join her. "Does whatever denomination this is even do confessions?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Root picked up one of the two heavy silver candlestick holders on the altar and moved it to the floor. "Don't want it getting in the way," she explained. Shaw wrapped the tail of her shirt around the second silver candlestick so she could hand it over safely. The big, silver cross was last to get moved, leaving the altar bare except for the white cloth covering it.

Root put her hands flat on the surface of the altar, like the was about to pull herself up, but Shaw stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Only one of us got off in the park," she pointed out. "And I'm pretty sure I know what you have in mind, but first--" She pressed down on Root's shoulders until Root got the hint and dropped to her knees on the polished wood floor. Shaw kicked her shoes off and then leaned back against the altar while Root helped tug her pants and underwear off.

"Lose the dress," Shaw said when Root's hands touched her legs.

Root's underwear were still shoved in Shaw's jacket pocket which was in the pack, so when Root let the blue dress fall to the ground around her feet, she was left in only a matching blue bra which joined the dress on the floor a moment later. She stepped out of the dress and stretched with her arms above her head. Shaw stared at her--her body elegantly highlighted by the faint lights and shadows of the dark chapel--and felt her mouth go dry. She could still remember the first time she'd seen Root's body, barely hidden by a see-through red shift as she'd lain on Shaw's front steps. Back then, Shaw had been trying to be polite and not look, but now she could drink Root in with her eyes as much as she liked.

Root tilted her head to the side with a little half smile as if she knew exactly how much of an effect she was having on Shaw. She turned away to face the empty church and Shaw's eyes traced up the backs of her legs, over her ass, and up her back to where her hair tumbled down over her shoulders. It was very hard not to immediately cross the space between them and touch Root all over.

Root turned back and put a hand on either side of Shaw on the altar. She smiled down at her, eyes soft and teasing. "I suppose since we're in church it's fitting for me to kneel."

"If you start making dumb church puns, I'll leave and take your clothes with me."

Root's smile widened. "I don't think Jesus would approve of that."

"As opposed to everything else we're about to do?"

Root chuckled and then leaned in to kiss her, a soft brush of lips that quickly turned more serious. Shaw's arms circled around Root and crushed her against her and Root's fingers scratched slow, deep lines down her shoulders. She pushed Root back so she could pull her tank top off over her head and Root sank to her knees in front of her again. Root stared up at her, cheeks flushed and lips slightly parted.

"What're you waiting for?" Shaw asked.

"Just savoring the moment."

Shaw rolled her eyes, shifted her weight, and eased her leg up and over Root's shoulder so she could pull Root closer. At the first touch of Root's tongue she tangled a hand in her hair and her mouth fell open in a silent gasp. Fucking Root in the park had gotten her all worked up and now she finally could do something about that.

She leaned back on the altar with her other elbow and stared out at the empty church and then down at the top of Root's head. The high arched stone ceiling of the church and dark stained glass windows had nothing on the sight of Root kneeling between her legs. Root slid into her with one, and then two fingers and curled them expertly. The throaty moan that pulled from Shaw echoed wonderfully through the empty church, bouncing off the high ceiling. Shaw saw a grin on Root's face.

"Yeah, fine, the acoustics are great," Shaw mumbled. "Stop looking smug."

Root pinched her hard on the though with her free hand and sucked her clit aggressively and Shaw let out a strangled yell as she came. The echo was still dying away when Root sat back on her heels, looking pleased with herself. Shaw offered her a hand up and then pulled her in so she could kiss her again and taste herself on Root's lips.

When they broke apart, Root leaned in to nudge at Shaw with her nose. "Wanna fuck me on the altar now, sweetie?"

"Fuck yes." Shaw grabbed Root, spun her around, and attempted to hoist her up onto the altar. The logistics made it a little difficult since the altar was quite tall and Shaw was...not abnormally tall like some people. Still she managed with only a few readjustments and with a warning glare at Root, daring her to comment.

She grabbed her pack from where it had ended up next to the altar and pulled out her bunched up clothes so she could get at everything below. Other than the med kit she carried almost everywhere these days, the rest of the bag had a decent amount of their sex toy collection. She hadn't been quite sure what Root had in mind so she'd brought a bunch. She didn't want to do anything too elaborate right now, since they were trespassing and there were still vampires trying to kill them somewhere out there, so she opted for a strap-on with the new dildo they'd picked up at a sex shop the other day.

She turned back around to find Root sprawled on her back across the altar, one hand between her legs, and her eyes half-closed and staring at Shaw. Her hair was spread out around her head in shining waves against the white cloth.

Shaw used her extra speed and strength to avoid a mishap in clambering up on the altar. She hovered over Root on her hands and knees and eyed the healing bite marks on her neck. She definitely intended to add to those in the near future. But first….

"Wanna sit on my face for a minute before I fuck you?"

Root grinned like a cheshire cat in response and they both maneuvered awkwardly in the limited space on the altar to switch positions. The white cover of the altar ended up pulled askew by the time Root lowered herself over Shaw's face.

Shaw had never had much of a thing for fancy architecture, but she had to admit there was something pleasing about seeing the high rafters of the church roof above Root while she rocked her hips against Shaw's mouth. Every little whimper and moan she pulled from Root echoed off the high ceilings. She pushed her tongue into Root and watched in approval as Root's head fell back, throat bared to the ceiling.

Shaw pulled away and urged Root off of her. She flipped them over and pinned Root to the altar by her wrists. Root's whole body was thrumming with anticipation beneath her.

"You've been waiting for this all day, huh?" Shaw asked as she squeezed Root's wrists just short of bruising. Root didn't answer, but Shaw could see the eagerness in her eyes. She dropped her head down so her mouth was right by Root's ear. "After I make you come all over this altar, I'm going to bend you over the communion rail."

"So--" Root swallowed and wet her lips. "--you're going to...rail me?" She smirked and raised her eyebrows.

Shaw shut her eyes and counted to ten. "Well, now I'm definitely not going to."

Root wiggled under her and tried to hook a leg around her. "Don't be like that, Sameen."

Shaw glared at her but it was mostly just for show. "Spread your legs a little more." She let go of Root's wrists and repositioned herself.

Root's fingers clawed at her back as she entered her with a smooth thrust. Shaw rolled her hips a few times and Root wrapped her legs around her to pull her closer. Usually, Shaw started slow, but tonight she skipped ahead a bit and set a punishing pace that had Root writhing beneath her and clawing up her back within seconds. Her hips rocked hard against Root, drawing the length of the strap-on out before driving it back in over and over. Each stroke pushed Root back across the altar a little and Shaw kept half an eye on the edge to make sure nothing unfortunate happened, but mostly she watched Root's face and listened to the sounds of her moans echoing around them. Okay, so maybe Root did know how to choose some fun places to fuck.

"Hey, Root," she said between breaths.

Root made a noise that might have been an acknowledgement.

"What do you say after getting laid in church?"

Root looked like she might attempt to answer so Shaw reached down to touch her clit to distract her. She smirked down at Root.

"You say, holy fuck."

Root almost choked from trying to laugh and breathe at the same time. Her predicament only got worse when she came in the middle of it and ended up gasping for breath as she collapsed back against the altar. Shaw eased up, planning to pull out and have Root finish her off with her mouth once she recovered, but Root's legs tightened around her and she reached down to tug on the harness.

"Again."

Shaw wasn't going to argue with that. She grabbed Root around the waist and hoisted her up so she was sitting on the altar with Root straddling her lap. Root sank down further onto the strap-on, her eyelids fluttering.

"God, it feels so much deeper like this."

"Leave god out of this, please."

Root chuckled and looped her hands behind Shaw's neck. Shaw thrust up into her and Root gasped and dropped her hands to grasp Shaw's back for support. Shaw grabbed Root's hip for leverage and slammed into her as hard as she knew she could take while Root pushed down to meet her in a fast rhythm. Root would definitely be feeling this tomorrow. Shaw licked a line up the side of Root's throat, tasting the sweat there. She wondered how the two of them looked there, locked together and crashing into each other frantically on the white altar of the empty church. Too bad they had no way to record this.

This time Root came with a cry so loud Shaw swore the stained glass windows rattled. Root slumped against her, sweaty and spent, and Shaw pressed her back down onto the altar, barely pausing. She didn't slow down at all, chasing after her own orgasm. She buried her face in Root's neck and bit down hard with her fangs, making Root's body jerk underneath hers. A few more erratic thrusts and she tumbled over the edge and collapsed on top of Root, the taste of her blood thick in her mouth.

"Holy fuck," Root whispered into her ear and then giggled.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like that." She peeled herself off of Root and carefully pulled out of her. Root's hair was a mess now, the insides of her thighs were shiny and wet, and a thin trail of blood from the bite mark on her neck had trickled down to stain the white altar cloth below. "This is a good look on you."

"Mmm, on you, too."

Root smiled and reached for her and Shaw helped her sit up. She didn't try to stop Root from draping herself over her and butting her head into the crook of her neck and even managed to put an arm around Root in what she hoped was an affectionate-but-not-too-affectionate way. Root got clingy and cuddly after sex sometimes, but Shaw didn't mind much anymore. Sitting still while hot, sweaty Root pressed up against her was hardly a burden.

Root's breathing slowly returned to normal and she pulled back a little to look at Shaw. "Well, considering we haven't been smited for desecrating a place of worship, either god doesn't exist, or god doesn't mind gay, vampire sex in church," she said.

"Someone should tell the pope."

"I don't think this is a Catholic church, sweetie."

"Someone should _still_ tell the pope." Shaw separated herself from Root and hopped down to the floor. "Did you have another stop planned for us tonight?"

Root carefully slid off the side of the altar and reached for her dress. "One more."

Shaw ditched the strap-on and collected her discarded clothing. "Where? And no more of this surprise bullshit."

Root looked up from where she'd just reclaimed her underwear from Shaw's jacket and pouted. "Fine. The museum of natural history." She winked at Shaw as she pulled her underwear back on. "We're going to fuck under the stars in the planetarium. Oh, and maybe under the giant whale, too."

Shaw pulled her tank top down over her head and fixed her ponytail. She realized with a growing sense of resignation that not only was Root into some weird, extremely nerdy shit, but that she was now into Root being into it. Upsetting. "You know we could fuck under the _actual_ stars back home. Not much light pollution there."

"No, but it's either too cold or there are bugs. This is much better."

"Okay, fine." It actually sounded fun. "Let's just--" She froze and then sprung into action, grabbing Root and running to duck behind the altar as fast as she was capable of. There was a _thud_ from the other side of the altar that Shaw was very sure was a crossbow bolt burying itself in the wood. She glanced down at Root who looked like she'd just had the breath knocked out of her. Root had never gotten to experience her full speed personally like that before.

"I think those vampires caught up with us," she whispered to Root. "I'm going to deal with them, but call Reese anyway. Can't hurt to have backup." She slipped away before Root could respond.

There was nowhere else to hide up on the dais, but the church was full of wooden pews that the other vampires could be hiding behind which put Shaw at a disadvantage. She moved slowly around to the front of the altar and yanked the crossbow bolt out of it. Silver-plated. She tossed it aside.

One of the vampires walked into the center aisle, crossbow held in his hands. She was very sure there was a second one here, but she couldn't hear them and that meant the first one was probably bait. Bait she intended to take to draw the other one out.

"Can I help you?" she called to the vampire.

He raised the crossbow and another bolt flew towards her, but that sort of attack only worked on a vampire who didn't see it coming. She sidestepped the bolt with ease and kept walking towards him. When she got closer, he dropped the crossbow and reached for something in his coat.

Shaw sprang, leaping across the space between them and going right for his neck with her hand. Her fingers closed around his throat and dug in with inhuman force. Blood sprayed everywhere as she ripped the front of his throat out and then dug in to the ruined mess with her other hand to sever his spine. It wasn't a sure way to kill a vampire, but it stood a good chance to and was faster than the alternatives.

Something slammed into her back and sent her flying down the aisle. She landed on her stomach and only just had enough time to flip over before the other vampire, a huge man built like a tank leaped on her. Strength for vampires wasn't purely based on muscle, but on a mixture of normal physical strength and additional vampire strength, and in that they were evenly matched, but the sheer size and reach the other vampire had made things difficult for Shaw. She drove her knee into his stomach and went for his throat, but he kept himself just far enough above her that it didn't have the impact she'd hoped. When he tried to grab her throat though she broke several of his fingers and twisted his wrist until it popped. She gritted her teeth in a snarl and prepared for what might end up being a prolonged fight.

She was getting ready to try and knock him backwards with both feet to his stomach when there was a flash of metal above her. Blood dripped down on her as the vampire clawed at his throat. Shaw kicked him off and jumped to her feet, wiping blood out of her eyes.

Root stepped past her, still holding a large silver dagger that Shaw didn't even remember seeing in their pack, and drove it straight through the vampire's left eye. He screamed in a high-pitched inhuman cry and thrashed around on the floor. Root tilted her head to one side, considering his plight, pulled the dagger out, and started stabbing him in the chest repetitively.

"That's not going to kill him quickly," Shaw pointed out, wondering if she should help.

"Oh, I'm aware."

Shaw sighed and reached down to rip the vampire's head off and toss it down the aisle. His body kept twitching when Root continued stabbing him, but there was very little chance he wasn't mostly dead now. Root kept switching up where she stabbed him and watching how his body reacted with a disturbing amount of focus, like she was filing it away for later use. She bit her lower lip and tilted her head as she stabbed and Shaw wondered if it was bad that she found that kind of hot. Oh well.

She went over to fully finish killing the first vampire and then straightened up to look at the mess they'd caused. The carpet squelched with blood under her feet.

"I think church might be cancelled this week."

"Most of the churches hate vampires," Root said as she straightened up. She wiped her bloody hands and dagger off on her dress which was probably ruined anyway at this point. "In some ways we just left them a present. They should thank us."

Shaw chuckled, the surge of adrenaline from the fight slowly slipping away. "We should get out of here." They probably shouldn't go to the planetarium covered in blood, but Shaw was definitely planning to fuck Root again the second after they both had a shower. Hell, maybe they could try to cram into the tiny shower together. And maybe Root could use that dagger on her in a slightly less homicidal way….

Root stepped over the corpse. "Probably a good idea. I'll text John again to head him off."

Root was halfway back down the aisle when Shaw called after her. "Root."

She waited until Root turned back, her blood-smeared figure framed perfectly by the church.

"Thanks for having my back."

Root beamed at her.

* * *

The castle felt huge to Shaw after so much time in a tiny apartment, and she was glad to have the extra space back. She didn't even bother unpacking the first night, but fell into her own bed and drifted lightly for about four hours. Root never came to join her, which wasn't particularly surprising or alarming since neither of them were used to living in cramped conditions with someone else and it had been wearing on them both towards the end of the trip. However when Shaw got up she did track Root down to check on her and found her, not in her own room, but up in the tower, passed out in a pile of fuzzy blankets and bathed in the lights of her many lava lamps. She had Bear with her, her arm wrapped around his neck in a sleep hug. Shaw let them be.

By the time Root woke up hours later, Shaw had already worked out in the basement gym, taken a shower, thrown all her clothes in the wash (but not Root's. Root had to start doing her own laundry or go naked. Either way, Shaw won), and was in the middle of cooking. She only glanced up for a second when Root wandered into the kitchen, her eyes bleary and her hair messy. She was wearing the pajamas she'd bought in New York, which were a few sizes too large for her and looked like they should belong to someone's grandfather except for the fact they were black silk. She smiled sleepily at Shaw and then hopped up to sit on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen without a word.

Neither of them said a word throughout the process of Shaw cooking, or when she finished and handed Root a plate of food, or the entire time Root ate. Root held the plate in her hand and ate still sitting up on the counter while Shaw sat on a stool next to her and worked on a sketch of Bear she'd started before they left. She felt a little odd letting Root watch her draw, but mostly it was easy to ignore her curious glances.

Root put her empty plate down on the counter next to her. "Thanks for cooking."

"No takeout food here." She'd missed cooking, too. She closed her sketchbook and set it aside. "I don't think I ever fully explained what Reese and I used to do for Control way back."

If Root was confused by the sudden change in subject, she didn't show it. "You didn't, no."

"We did something a lot like what that mission was. Hunted down rogue vampires who were killing indiscriminately and putting all of us in danger. Sometimes we took out anti-vampire groups, too. Way back we actually got involved in the vampire crusade." That had been fun.

"I thought this last mission wasn't from Control?"

"Not directly, but she knew about it." Shaw got up and took Root's dish over to the sink while she gathered her thoughts. "There's more vampires like Control out there. Leaders in different territories. There's Elias who operates in parts of America--he was the one who gave Reese that job--there's this really old coot named Greer--I'm not even sure where he's based out of anymore--and a handful of others. Also there's Zoe, but she's not exactly a leader." Shaw wasn't sure how to describe what Zoe did. "Anyway, my point is there's a lot of powerful vampires out there with conflicting agendas and a very fragile peace between all of them and I don't want to get back in the middle of that."

"That seems reasonable."

Shaw went back to the counter and stood in front of where Root's legs dangled off the side. Root's pajama pants were so long they almost covered her feet and Root's hands had disappeared into the sleeves completely. Ridiculous. Shaw reached for the bottom button of the ludicrous pajama shirt.

"The thing is, though, Reese isn't wrong that dealing with rogue vampires, saving people. It helps all of us." She undid four buttons and spread the shirt open enough to look at Root's pale stomach framed with black silk. She ran a finger down from where the black cloth was parted below Root's breasts in a V to her navel and watched Root's stomach twitch under her finger. "We could try to stay neutral, work for whoever is paying--freelance, I guess--but I'm not sure it's possible for us to help out hunting down bad guys for the vampire leaders without getting pulled into the politics."

"But you want to try?" Root asked, her eyes locked on Shaw's finger.

"I kind of do." Shaw glanced up at Root quickly before looking back down to unfasten the last few buttons. The pajama shirt gaped open and Shaw slid her hands around Root's sides and onto her back. "But I'm not sure how useful we'd be without someone with your computer skills. You tracked those vampires down in an hour after Reese had been trying for weeks."

"You're asking me to do more jobs like that last one? On a more permanent basis?"

Shaw pushed the shirt off of Root's shoulders so it pooled around her waist and left her bare. She slid a hand up Root's side into her thumb rested just below one breast, and dug her thumb in over her ribs until a little pained noise fell from Root's lips. Shaw glanced up to see Root's eyes were wide and her lips parted.

"Yeah, if you're willing," she said, keeping her voice even as if this was a normal conversation and she wasn't stripping Root down on the counter. "I'm not sure what it would mean for your current job, though. There wouldn't be constant jobs but the timing would be hard to predict." Her other hand rested on the side of Root's neck and squeezed just hard enough to pull another little noise from Root. "I get that it's asking a lot."

Root turned her head into Shaw's hand and Shaw moved her hand up enough so Root could take her thumb between her lips. Root ran her tongue over Shaw's thumb once and then bit down hard enough to hurt.

Shaw snatched her hand back with a scowl as Root grinned down at her. "You're not supposed to bite the hand that fucks you, you know."

"I think we should give it a try," Root said, ignoring her comment. "I mean the worst that happens is it doesn't work out and I go back to what I'm doing now."

"The worst that happens is we piss off a lot of powerful vampires or get caught in the middle of a war and all end up dead." She put a hand flat on Root's chest and shoved Root down so her back hit the counter top. Root squirmed as if trying to sit up, but Shaw's hand kept her pinned. Nodding in satisfaction, Shaw tugged down Root's pajama pants with her free hand and let them fall to the floor.

"I always run the risk of upsetting the wrong people and ending up dead," Root said while trying to hook a leg around Shaw. "It wouldn't be anything new."

Shaw released her with one last warning push and then dragged her forwards by her hips so she was right at the edge of the counter. "So that's a yes then?" She ran her hands up Root's thighs and pushed her legs apart. It was just the kind of day where everyone ate at the counter apparently.

Root propped herself up on her elbows enough so she could meet Shaw's eyes and smile. "That's a yes."

Shaw smiled back. "Good." She leaned down to taste Root while Root's hand threaded its way into her hair. Maybe she could beat her previous record of how many times she could make Root come in a row with just her mouth. She didn't have any plans for the rest of the night, so she was game to try.

It was good to be back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stg I am actually working on the next chapter of my other fic. Just really slowly. Sometimes you just gotta decompress from the pressures of capitalism by writing vampire porn. I recently remembered that the first vampire 'erotica' I read was an Anne Rice novel (so, not really erotica but I was very smol and 👀👀) I found at a church booksale. So since I took the vampire porn out of the church then I guess I'm figuratively putting it back in now. Or something. Anyway. Might write more. Might write Shaw's chair-bondage fantasy. Who knows.


End file.
